Armored Infantry Units: Gojou
by UnbalancedTruth
Summary: William Carter was a college student, alienated from his fellow students. His life took an unexpected turn when Unit Alpha crashed into it.
1. Sorrow

William Carter wakes up, and stares at the ceiling. _"It's the same old, annoying routine everyday,"_ he thinks to himself. _"I wake up, stare at the ceiling, and then wipe away the tears that come from dreaming of a better, happier life."_William sits up. He pulls his knees to his chest, and curls his arms around his legs. A sigh passes between his lips, before he looks down from his bed to his roommate's. Hanging on the wall above his roommate is a poster, on which is written, "Hate", in large black script.

William climbs down from his lofted bed and stares at his roommate. _"Why am I here?"_ he ponders. He pulls off his shirt, revealing a long scar that runs from the base of his neck to the small of his back. _"Is there any point to it? Any point at all?"_ He looks to his right, and sees his own reflection in the mirror. He stares at it for a minute. Is there any point to this life?" William looks away, then grabs a new shirt from his closet, and pulls it on. He then changes his pants, puts on his shoes, and opens the door to his room. _"Is it worth getting an education if I'm this miserable? Is it worth it if I hate myself?"_William glances at his sleeping roommate before walking out of the room. He closes the door behind him, and sighs.

William's left foot steps away from the door. Then the opposite foot does the same. As William walks through his hallway, three students pass him by, laughing and talking amongst themselves. _"Where does happiness lie?"_ William walks by, staring at the ground. _"How can I find happiness? I don't even know what it is."_ He says nothing as he passes them by, and they don't even bother saying anything to him. _"Is the answer inside of me?"_After a few seconds, William can hear them making comments about him; he simply ignores the comments, as usual. It's as he's always done.

William reaches the door leading outside and whispers to himself: "will I ever find the life I want?" He opens the door and stares forward for a second as the wind blows across his face, throwing his hair into disarray. He starts walking away from the building, still staring at the ground.

"Maybe ... maybe if I was dead I wouldn't have to deal with-"

"Bill! Hi!"

William looks up, and then over his shoulder. He turns around, and stares quietly at a blonde haired girl. "Oh, hello, Amy." The girl sits on a bench, along with two other girls. She smiles, and waves.

"How are you?" she asks.

William runs his hand over the back of his neck and smiles slightly. "I'm doing pretty well," he says, trying to keep the smile across his face.

"That's nice." Amy pushes a few stray strands of hair back behind her ear.

William nods, and then turns around. He continues walking.

Amy stares at him, an unsure look on her face. She looks to her left, and thinks, _"he's so distant. He's a very nice person, but he seems to be afraid of something."_ She thinks to herself, _"is he afraid of me. Or something worse?"_

"That guy's pretty weird," the girl to Amy's left says, staring at William as he walks away.

"He is, Kristen, but he's very nice." Amy looks at the girl to her right, as if asking for support. "Isn't he in one of your classes, Jennifer?"

"He's in my philosophy class. Very smart. I talked to him a bit. He is nice, though a bit weird. Kind of... distant, I'd say."

Once the girls are out of sight, William stops, and leans against a tree. He wipes the tears from his eyes once more, and clenches his fist. "Am I so pathetic that I can't talk to anyone? Am I? What the hell is wrong with me?" He punches the tree in anger, and then runs his knuckles down it, leaving a trail of blood. "Damn it. Damn meâ€¦"

**Marsten, Virginia.**

**25,000 feet above the surface of the earth.**

The red and gray metallic object soars through the sky, cutting through clouds and leaving a smoke trail in its wake. The sun passes by overhead, causing the object to shimmer magnificently. It seems to simply float for a second. It almost resembles a bird as it does so.

The object's nose suddenly point downwards, and a burst of flame is ejected from the tail. The object zooms towards the ground, spinning around as if in some sort of dance. It straightens out and points its nose directly at a hangar on the ground.

It keeps falling ... falling... falling... and pulls up right before hitting the ground a few hundred feet from the hangar. It races towards the building, and then transforms into a giant robot. It hits the ground inside the hangar on its knees, and skids across the surface, throwing sparks into the air. Eventually it comes to a stop, right in the center of the hangar.

A large number of mechanics and engineers come running towards the robot and begin to assess it. A door on the robot's abdomen opens, and a man wearing a blue jumpsuit exits. He removes his helmet and smiles at the mechanics. "She handles like a charm," he says, smiling.

One of the mechanics looks up at the man and gives him the thumbs up. "We expected no less, with you as the pilot."

The man in the blue jumpsuit smiles, and leaps down from the robot.

**Bellerville, Ohio.**

**Mirena College.**

**Again.**

"You know, Bill, that you aren't the only one here who hates being here?" Alexander Samson drops his lunch tray to the table, and sits down across from William Carter. "Granted, those who feel misery feel it for different reasons, but you must realize that you aren't the only one who isn't happy."

William stares at his food, thinking. "I know, but I hate being here for a reason that I can never escape from. No matter where I am, I think that I'll always hate being there." He runs his hand through his hair, and shakes his head, a sad look on his face.

"So tell me," Alex says, sitting back in his seat. "Why do you hate it here?"  
William looks up at Alex, and just stares.

"I only ask because we've known each other for about a month, and I still feel that you're rather distant. Is that why I'm one of your only friends here?"

William places his elbow on the table, and rests his head in his hands. "I can't help but think that you wouldn't understand." He sighs, and looks at the ceiling.

"There's the problem. You don't open up because you think no one understands. But how can anyone understand if you won't open up?" Alex smiles at William, a look on his face that almost says 'I'm right, you know?'.

William doesn't smile back "But I'm afraid to open up." He looks down at the ground. "If I open up, I'm only going to get hurt."

Alex lifts the styrofome cup on his tray to his lips and thinks, _"so you'd rather hurt yourself?"_He drinks from the cup. "It's much more painful to hurt yourself than it is to be hurt by other people. Trust me. I know people. Hell, God knows I don't know anything about school."

"I just, I just feel that no one even wants to understand me."

"I want to understand you, Bill." Alex leans forward, grasping the edge of the table. "Why would I ask if I didn't?"

William folds his arms across his chest, and looks down. "But what if no one else does?"

**Marsten, Virginia.**

**Once More.**

The man in the blue jumpsuit sits down in an expensive leather chair, a smile plastered across his face. He sips on the scotch that he holds in his hand. "I must say, sir, that no matter how much the military doesn't enjoy getting equipment from thatâ€¦ particular company, they build one hell of an Armored Infantry Unit." The man in the blue jumpsuit places his glass on the desk in front of him, and leans forward. "Hell, I almost had difficulty controlling it. If it wasn't for the artificial intelligence built into the computer... and that mental control system, I'd have been screwed."

A man wearing standard military dress sits behind the desk. He stares at the man in the blue jumpsuit, not saying a word. "Yes," he finally says, leaning back in his chair. "But it's odd. This unit is years ahead of anything that we've ever seen before."

"It is a bit peculiar, General, but if it helps us win the war, I see no reason to question anything? I mean, Dram Industries has, if I recall, one of the strongest think tanks in the world."

"Yes, I know. But I'm afraid, Sean, that the government just cannot afford to be so-"

Warning alarms begin to blare, filling the room with a loud, screeching noise. A voice comes over the loudspeaker: "attention all personnel. Enemy aircraft have just appeared on radar. I repeat, enemy aircraft have appeared on radar."

**Minutes Later.**

The General and Sean enter the base's command center, which is bustling with activity. "What's going on?" the general asks.

A woman turns towards him and says, "two enemy AIU carriers, Barge type, have just appeared on radar. They're being escorted by a number of fighters. They appear to be headed here from Canada. The Interior Forces are hesitant to dispatch any fighters in case the AIUs are air mobile. "

"We're so outmatched by the enemy in terms of firepower. Damn." The General shakes his head. "This war is the most insane thing I've ever seen in my life."

"Are they coming for Unit Alpha, sir?"

The General strokes his chin with his hand. "Could be. Could be."

Sean smiles. "I'd say that this is the perfect time to battle test the unit, sir."

"No, we can't risk damaging it before all the tests are complete. Those people at Dram would kill us." The General walks over to a small console and places his hand on the shoulder of the person sitting there. "How long until they reach us?"

The person turns his head around, and looks at the general. "On their current course, it will take them approximately thirty five minutes. Lucky for us Barge type carriers are slow, sir."

"But still. Those damn interior forces are supposed to handle these types of situations!" The General slams his fist on the console. He looks at a map on the console. "Contact Criggen Base in Ohio. Tell them to have some AIUs ready to intercept enemy craft. Also tell them to arm their Surface to Air weapons." The General looks at Sean. "Sean, I want you to take Unit Alpha, and go to Criggen Base. The enemy will most likely follow you there. Criggen Base is one of the best trained bases around. They'll take care of those enemies, especially since the forces of the Interior are being such cowards."

"And it will keep the enemy from penetrating too far into our borders." Sean nods and salutes. "Good idea, sir!"

Sean's foot comes to a rest on Unit Alpha's door. He stares at the cockpit for a moment, tightening the glove on his left hand. Sean steps into the cockpit of Unit Alpha, and then sits down. He reaches for the straps and buckles himself in. He puts on his helmet and proceeds to press a button. The door closes, and the cockpit lights up. "Let's go, buddy."

The unit's visor glows, and the head looks up, right before the whole unit stands. It reaches down, grasping for its shield. Unit Alpha lifts the shield and holds it at waist height. It begins to walk out of the hangar, rather slowly.

A video screen lights up inside of the cockpit. "Sean, there are incoming missiles! Get the hell out of here, right now!"

"I'm going, sir," Sean says, "but hurry up and activate your MDS!"

The General sighs. "Sadly, this base doesn't have a missile defense system."

Sean's eyes widen. "But sir, y...you'll all be killed!"

"I know. It's okay, just get yourself to Criggen base, soldier!" The General salutes.

Sean looks away. "Yes, sir."

In the air, dozens of missiles streak across the sky, lined up as though they were soldiers about to perform an execution. Small thrusters on the missiles fire, causing them to change their trajectory, headed right for the base.

"Bastards," Sean says as he pushes forward on the Unit's controls.

The engines on Unit Alpha's back glow, and then fire in a blaze of glory. The robot is pushed forward. It kicks off of the ground, leaping into the air. Its legs contract, its arms reach up, and the wings extend, transforming the unit into a fighter. Unit Alpha streaks across the inside of the hangar, and crashes right through the door .

A missle tears through the roof of the hangar, and strikes the ground inside. In a split second, the hangar is destroyed in a blaze. Unit Alpha flies along, gliding only a few feet above the ground. Around the fighter, missiles smash into buildings all over the base, literally blowing it to pieces. The fighter's vernier thrusters push it higher into the air.

Sean stares at the burning base below him. "Damn it."

The fighter races towards the horizon, shining in the sunlight. Below, the base burns as pillars of smoke rise into the air.

**Southwestern Pennsylvania, USA**

**30,000 Feet.**

Two giant flying wings soar above the clouds, surrounded by ten fighters. In comparison to the larger planes, the fighters look rather miniscule.

"Missile barrage from Arcadia Base in Canada has destroyed the enemy base. However, the target itself has escaped, and seems to be headed towards ... Criggen Base, Ohio. Orders, sir?"

Someone takes a deep breath. "We were told to destroy that Unit and that is what we're going to do. It's advanced, very advanced, and any weapon which gives the Americans an advantage in this war must be destroyed."

"I see, sir."

"Yes. Therefore, we will follow that Unit, and destroy it the minute we get the chance. They're smart, sending him to Criggen base, since the people there are very well trained"

"Shall we change course, sir?"

"Yes. Set an intercept course."

"Roger."

**Bellerville, Ohio.**

**Mirena College.**

**Again.**

"Listen, Bill. I know how you feel about about everything, but you've a lot going for yourself. A damn lot."

William and Alex slowly walk towards the Dormitory. As per usual, William stares at the ground as he marches forward.

"Like what?" William asks.

"Don't hand me that bullshit, Bill. You're one of the smartest guys I know. You have a great future."

William stops walking. "I ... I guess." He looks at Alex and lies again, "listen, I'm gonna go call my mom, okay. I'll talk to you later."

Alex nods, and then walks off.

William walks over to the bench in front of his building and sits down. He pulls out a pen and a piece of paper. Something is written on the piece of paper. "I think I'm almost done." He continues writing on it.

A flash fills the area. The sound of an explosion echoes all around. William jumps up, but holds tightly onto the piece of paper. "The hell?" In the distance, flashes of light, possibly explosions, can be seen. "... the war?"

**Between Criggen Base, Ohio and Marsten, Virginia; twenty miles away from Bellerville, Ohio.**

**25,000 Feet.**

Unit Alpha soars through the air as the ground below zooms by. Suddenly, a number of missiles come raining down on the unit from above. Unit Alpha transforms into robot mode, and fires some chaff from its legs. The missiles strike the small shards of metal and explode in bright flashes of light. With its right arm Unit Alpha reaches behind its wing and pulls a machine gun out. It points the machine gun forward, and waits.

Four armored infantry units zoom down towards Unit Alpha from above, firing their machine guns. Unit Alpha holds its shield out front of it with its left hand, protecting the unit from the rounds. The bullets strike the shield and clang off of it. The unit extends its right arm, and fires off a burst of rounds at an enemy.

The enemy AIU fires its thrusters, and moves to the side, dodging the rounds. It fires a number of shots from its hand. Unit Alpha fires the thrusters on its legs, sending into a spin, which helps it to barely avoid the shots. It fires the verniers on its back and rushes towards the first enemy unit. The enemy holds its arm up, and literally launches the arm at the oncoming craft.

Unit Alpha throws the gun away, and pulls a sword off of its wing with its right hand. In one quick motion it slices the arm off of the enemy unit. Unit Alpha continues moving onward, and shoves the sword through the enemy unit's cockpit. It kicks the enemy away, and fires a burst of ammunition at it from the guns on its head. The enemy unit explodes in midair into hundreds of pieces; the burning wreckage falls to the ground.

Unit Alpha spins in midair, only to be smacked in the face by a fist from one of the other enemy units. Unit Alpha begins to the fall to the ground, its balance disturbed.

Inside the cockpit, Sean frantically tugs at the controls, trying to right the unit. Beads of sweat run down his forehead. "I'm not used to aerial combat. This is way too much for me!"

Data scrolls across the screen before him. Numbers pass by at a speed that is too quick for the human eye to read. Sean looks at the data, shaking his head.

On the main monitor, the ground stops spinning. The camera looks forward, right before the unit is rammed by an enemy. Sean grabs his head in pain. "What the hell?" An enemy unit passes in front of him, firing more rounds. They strike the unit, and the impacts can be heard echoing through the cockpit. "Damn it!" Sean curls up in pain, holding his head as tightly as he can. "What's ... going ... on?"

Outside, the three enemy units circle Unit Alpha playfully. Unit Alpha floats in midair, seemingly silent. Suddenly, its head turns, and looks into the distance.

Inside, the words "Mirena College" flash on the screen. Data passes by even faster than before, and the entire cockpit is lit by an odd red light.

Outside, Unit Alpha transforms back to a fighter, and flies off. As it passes by an enemy unit, its wing cuts right through the an enemy AIU, which explodes in a burst of light and debris.

Unit Alpha zooms towards its new destination.

**Criggen Base, Ohio, United States of America.**

Alarms blare across the entire base. Armored Infantry Units march across the base, preparing for battle. Missile launches rise from the ground and point towards the sky.

Inside the base's Command Center, a gray-haired General stands, staring at the main screen. Next to him is a short, brown-haired man dressed in an expensive suit.

"What exactly is going on, General Jameson?" the brown-haired man asks.

"I certainly have no idea," General Jameson responds, looking at the man. "Unit Alpha was headed here, but after engaging the enemy, it changed course. Where is it headed anyway?"

Someone down below responds, "seems to be headed towards... Mirena College, sir."

General Jameson's eyes widen. He whispers to himself, "that's where Kristen goes to school..."

The brown-haired man runs up to the railing overlooking the command center. "Get Doctor Everret up here! I want a full analysis of Unit Alpha's current condition, starting with the pilot! Give me everything! Comp-graph, Alpha waves, beta waves, heart rate. Everything!"

"It'll take us some time to access that data, sir. We're not the ones who were conducting the tests on Unit Alpha," a lieutenant below says.

"I don't care! Just get me that data!"

"Yes, sir."

General Jameson places his hand on the brown-haired man's shoulder. "I don't appreciate you bullying my people, Jon."

Jon turns around. "Dram industries has put a lot of money into that thing, and I'll be damned just to see it ruined!"

**Bellerville, Ohio.**

**Mirena College.**

**Again.**

Most of the school's population has come out to watch the battle. People stand all around, looking into the distance. William Carter stares at the sky as explosions flash across it. In the distance he can see the flaming wreckage of an AIU falling to the ground. "That's an enemy: Vie class. A French one. Most of our units can't match them in ground combat, much less beat them in air combat."

A fighter passes overhead; its shadow zooms across the ground. Dust and dirt is thrown into the air, causing everyone to shield their eyes. The fighter pulls up, and transforms back into a robot. It lands on the school's field, only a few hundred feet from William.

"A transformable AIU," William says, staring in awe. The people around him scream at each other, all of them unsure of what's happening.

Suddenly, two enemy units hit the ground near Unit Alpha.

"Those are enemies," someone screams. Anyone and everyone seems to panic; everyone, that is, except for William, who does nothing more than drop the piece of paper. It blows in the wind, but is picked up by Kristen, one of the girls Amy was with before.

"What's this?" she asks. She looks at the note. He eyes dart back and forth as she reads it. "Oh my god... William!"

The enemy units stand in front of the crowd of panicking students, the pilots waiting for their orders. "Orders received. The top brass are a bit suspicious of this place. They don't see why the pilot of that unit would come here when Criggen base was so close, and so well armed. They think it might be some sort of training facility or something like that. Therefore, they're throwing caution into the wind."

"Which means?" the other pilot asks.

"Which means that we get to tear this place apart. And with that unit having gone silent and the Americans having a very poor system of deploying their units, we can take our sweet time here." The pilot smiles.

The first enemy unit lifts its arms, and begins firing off rounds at one of the dorms. Only some of the bullets hit. The others hit the ground in front of the building, tearing through cars, and even through people.

"Fun fun."

William slowly walks towards Unit Alpha, staring at it. Its face lights up, and the crosshair on its visor looks right at William. "Are you ... calling me?" William asks. He runs towards it, Kristen chasing behind. Amy grabs her by the arm, stopping her.

"Are you crazy!" Amy drags Kristen away from the scene. A shell hits the ground near them, throwing debris towards them and knocking them down.

"William is walking towards that thing! I ... I think he wants to die."

Unit Alpha sits, silent as William approaches. William walks up to it, and runs his hand over the surface. "What are you?" The cockpit door opens, inviting William. "Do you ... want me to pilot you?" He climbs up onto the unit, and looks into the cockpit to see a man in a blue jumpsuit sitting there, unmoving. William feels the man's wrist. "He has a pulse... Is he in a coma? But then how is he piloting it?"

One of the enemy units fires its arm, which crashes into a townhouse, destroying it. The arm retracts, and fires again, destroying another house.

Frantic screams and cries of agony fill the area, as people race around, pushing each other down, desperately trying to escape.

**Criggen Base, Ohio.**

**Once Again.**

"Pilot brain waves are zero. Comp-rate is zero. No response from pilot! Unit Alpha has gone cold. No output. Cold boot not working."

"What the hell is going on?" Jon slams his fist against the metal railing and looks to the general. "We have to dispatch a rescue team."

"I'm one step ahead of you, Jon. However, our first priority is saving that lives of those people, and destroying those enemy units." General Jameson pushes his glasses up on his face. "Hopefully we won't be too late for any of that."

**Bellerville, Ohio.**

**Mirena College.**

**Again.**

William unbuckles the pilot's harness and lifts him out of the cockpit. "I'm sorry to do this, sir," he says, taking off the pilot's helmet and cushion vest. "But ... I need to know." William drops the pilot to the ground below and steps into the cockpit. "I need to know."

He puts the vest on and inspect the inside of the helmet the helmet. "Are these ... connectors inside the helmet?" He places the helmet on his head, then latches it underneath his chin. The door closes and the cockpit lights up. William buckles himself up. He very slowly reaches for, then grabs the controls.

**Criggen Base, Ohio.**

**Once Again.**

"Oh my God. Sir, Unit Alpha has reactivated! Pilot response is 100%, alpha waves and beta waves match up perfectly with the expected output from the AI. Cold boot is successful ... wow."

"What is it?" Jon leans down over the railing and stares at the screen. "Compatibility rating is ... sixty-three percent! How can that be?"

General Jameson walks over to Jon. "Judging from that data, it seems someone else is piloting it." He whispers, "Whoever you are, please keep my grand-daughter safe."

"What?" Jon looks nervously at General Jameson. "But it's impossible for anyone to open the cockpit door without the proper authorization codes!"

"Nonetheless, it has happened."

"Patch me through to the pilot!"

**Bellerville, Ohio.**

**Mirena College.**

**Again.**

William sits in the cockpit, looking around. The cockpit flickers to a red color, and then returns back to normal. For a split second William feels a sharp pain shoot through his head. "What?"

A brown-haired man appears before William on the video monitor. "Listen, I don't know who you are, how you got into the cockpit, or more so, how your compatibility rating can be as high as it is with absolutely no training, but you seem to be our only hope."

"What?" William asks, his eyes wide. "Who are you?"

"Don't ask any questions! Just listen! That pain you felt was data being sent directly into your brain. The pain was from the initial ... push. It's a two way street, though. The unit that you are piloting doesn't work like normal AIUs. The computer, an artificial intelligence, sends data right to your brain. Your brain, in turn, gives the best course of action. The AIU follows suit."

"What?"

The brown haired man sighs. "To put it simply, the best way to pilot this unit is to think about what you want to do. Understand? The controls are there to help you stabilize the unit. Now that you've been given that info, you should know about armaments."

The school's gym is destroyed by a missile fired from one of the enemies. Pieces of debris fly all over the place, smashing into the ground, cars, and fleeing people. All around, buildings burn and smoke rises into the sky.

"The unit has, first off, a shield which can withstand typical AIU machine gun fire. Anything stronger and the shield won't hold. On the back of the unit's wings are two machine guns and two melee weapons, in this case, swords. On the unit's head are two vulcan cannons. These aren't very strong, but are very rapid fire. Be careful with them. Finally, at your sides are two rifles."

William looks at the main screen to see one of the enemy units standing above a scared Amy and Kristen. William's eyes widen, and sweat rolls down his forehead.

"Each one holds only two rounds, so use them carefully. And make sure when you fire them that there is nothing behind the enemy, because they can, without a doubt, tear through all layers of armor. Now, I'm sure you know that this unit is transformable."

The enemy unit points its arm at the two girls.

"No!" William screams, right before pushing forward on the controls.

"Stop, I haven't explained everything yet!"

William lifts his foot, and stomps down on the monitor, causing it to shatter. The brown-haired man disappears from sight.

**Criggen Base, Ohio.**

**Once Again.**

Jon looks at General Jameson. "Please don't tell me that kid did what I think he just did."

"Seems that way," General Jameson says.

**Bellerville, Ohio.**

**Mirena College.**

**Again.**

Unit Alpha drops its shield and zooms towards the enemy unit. It crouches down, and wraps its arms around the enemy's legs. It picks the unit up, and throws it backwards, onto the field. The enemy unit crashes down, throwing dirt everywhere.

The second enemy unit turns towards Unit Alpha, and steps back, seemingly mimicking the reaction of the pilot. It lifts its left arm, fires it at Unit Alpha. The arm zooms through the air, the claws on its fingers shining in the sunlight. Unit Alpha lifts a hand and catches the enemy's arm. With its free hand, Unit Alpha pulls out a machine gun, and blows the arm off. It drops the arm to the ground, and fires at the enemy unit. The enemy fires its thrusters and dodges out of the way. The rounds barely miss one of the dorms.

"Damn," William says, frustrated. "Have to be more careful." He drops the machine gun to the ground, and fires the unit's thruster. It flies towards the enemy and pulls out the sword. With one quick motion he slashes the enemy in half. With the other hand, he pushes the top half of the enemy unit off; it falls to the ground in a loud, crashing noise.

Unit Alpha turns towards the other enemy unit, which is just now getting up. It leaps into the air, and comes flying down towards Unit Alpha. Unit Alpha reaches to its side, and pulls out one of the shotguns. It lifts it to the air. The enemy unit comes crashing down onto the gun.

Unit Alpha pulls the trigger, firing a blast which blows right through the enemy unit. The remains of the enemy unit crash to the ground, next to its fallen comrade.

"I'm sorry," William says, staring at the downed units. The main screen inside the cockpit lights up, showing William more enemies. "Three incoming units. Why?"

Unit Alpha reaches down and grabs the other gun from its side. It points the two upwards, and fires the three remaining shots. The shells race through the sky. One shell goes right through a unit's head, and the other two pass right through the bodies of the remaining units. The latter two explode in midair, and the third goes limp, and then falls to the ground.

Unit Alpha drops the two rifles, and stands there, looking up.

Inside the cockpit, William pulls his hands away from the controls, and pulls his knees towards his chest. "Did I ... did I just kill? I ... I killed five people. But they were killing others, so it was justified ... right?"

**Criggen Base, Ohio.**

**Once Again.**

"Sir, all enemy units destroyed."

"That's incredible," Jon says, a smile plastered across his face. He steps forward, and looks down. "Print out that data. All of it!"

Sirens begin blaring once more across the command center.

General Jameson tightens his fist, and walks towards the metal railing. "What now?"

"Sir ... Jesus ... incoming missiles. Headed right for Unit Alpha and that school. Enough of a payload to wipe the entire school off the map."

"No, please no...Kristen..." General Jameson shakes his head, and then says, "patch me through to Unit Alpha."

"Connected. Audio only."

"Pilot," General Jameson says, his voice shaky and scared. "Young man. There are missiles headed towards you. However, on your wings are dozens of small missiles. Unit Alpha, the unit you are inside, possesses the ability to stop a missile strike. You can lock onto each incoming missile, and destroy them. But only you can do it. Please." General Jameson looks at Jon, and then at the lieutenant. "Anything?"

**Bellerville, Ohio.**

**Mirena College.**

**Again.**

"Nothing," a voice says over the comm. system. "Unit Alpha has gone silent once more."

William sits inside the cockpit, curled up in the fetal position. Tears stream down his eyes. "I killed them. I killed them. I killed them. I killed them. I killed them. I killed them. I killed them," he says, very quietly.

"They deserved it." a voice says, very inaudibly.

"I killed them. I killed them. I killed them. I killed them."

"They were murdering people."

"I killed them."

"They killed your schoolmates."

"I killed them."

"They were murderers themselves."

**Criggen Base, Ohio.**

**Once Again.**

"I killed them all!" William screams over the loudspeaker.

"Sir, pilot brain waves are off the charts! Hh ... Unit Alpha's responding!"

**Bellerville, Ohio.**

**Mirena College.**

**The last time.**

Unit Alpha throws its head into the air, and extends its wings fully. It fires its thrusters at full burn, and lifts off of the ground. It transforms and then speeds into the air, headed right towards the missiles.

Amy sits on the ground, staring at the note, tears running down her eyes. She wipes them away, and looks at the departing Unit Alpha. "William," she whispers to herself.

Unit Alpha locks onto the oncoming missiles, and fires at them. Dozens of small missiles depart from Unit Alpha, and crash into their targets, destroying them in a bright flash. The explosions light up the sky.

Amy stands up, and helps Kristen. She slides the piece of paper into her pocket, and looks around at the destruction. She wipes the tears from her eyes again, and sees the third girl from earlier in the day crushed under some debris. "Jennifer!" she screams, running towards her friend.

Unit Alpha lowers itself back onto the field, and then collapses to its knees. It begins to fall to the ground, but extends its hands so that its arms hold it up. The cockpit opens, allowing William to fall out. He hits the ground with a thud, and blankly stares up at Unit Alpha above.

He looks to his left and stares at the wrecked school.

"I killed them. I killed them all," he says, crying.

_**To Be Continued.**_

Next Time: The board has been set and the first move made, but will the emotional trauma of having piloted Unit Alpha be more than William can bear? It is then that he is given an offer that he may be unable to refuse. In the next movement: "It Brought Me Nothing But Pain."


	2. It Brought Me Nothing But Pain

**2035.**

**Bellerville, Ohio, United States of America.**

**Mirena College.**

Â Â Â Â William Carter leans silently against Unit Alpha, his arms at his sides. In his left hand he holds a helmet, and in his right he holds a pen and a piece of paper. The paper is full of sentences, many of which have been crossed out. The wind blows, throwing William's hair into disarray. William looks around at the wrecked school. He sees nothing but death and destruction. He crumples up the paper, and throws it away.

Â Â Â Â "The words are gone," he says, wiping a tear from his eye.

**Movement 2: "It Brought Me Nothing But Pain."**

**Bellerville, Ohio, USA.**

**Mirena College.**

**Still.**

**Fifty-Five Minutes Later.**

Â Â Â Â Five AIUs surround Unit Alpha, their weapons drawn, ready for anything. Multiple tents have been put up around the Unit, most of which have red crosses painted on the side. Dozens of military jeeps adorn the campus, as do dozens of ambulences. Soldiers and medical staff carry people on stretchers to the medical tents.

Â Â Â Â William Carter sits alone inside of one particular tent; the cushioning vest as well as his shirt removed. Sensors have been attached to his head and chest, sending data to a number of surrounding monitors. He looks at his hand, and sees that it is shaking. He rests it on the table, and stares at it. "Coward," he says, clenching his hand into a fist.

Â Â Â Â Jon Stalward walks across the college's field, surveying the damage done to the school. He looks out of place in his expensive suit, surrounded by doctors and soldiers. To his left is General Jameson, and to his right is a young woman with red hair, in her twenties, in a labcoat. "I suppose that the school was lucky," Jon says, looking at one of the partially destroyed dorms, "that most of the students were in class when the attack occurred."

Â Â Â Â "I'd say," says the woman in the labcoat, "that they were perhaps luckier that this young man stepped into Unit Alpha. At least, judging from the data you gave me."

Â Â Â Â "Is that so, Doctor Jenkins?"

Â Â Â Â "Yes it is, General Jameson. As I'm sure you know, this boy broke all previous compabability ratings. Eighty-eight percent is quite impressive." She smiles.

Â Â Â Â Jon asks, "And we have no idea why he was so compatible with Unit Alpha?"

Â Â Â Â "Afraid not." Dr. Jenkins glances at Jon, and then looks away. Jon nods in return. They approach an out-of-place black tent. "And here it is. We're currently running tests on him, to see if there's anything special about him. According to the forms he filled out, he seems to be a typical college student. A very smart college student, but a typical one nonetheless."

Â Â Â Â "How smart?" Jameson asks.

Â Â Â Â "According to him," Jenkins says, reading the chart, "he scores a ... 1540 on the SATs, and has an IQ of 171."

Â Â Â Â "That is...rather impressive," Jon says, smiling. "Of course, he might be lying."

Â Â Â Â "It's possible, however we're in the process of making up an IQ test that might be fitting for him. Also, considering that amount of data that had built up on the MCS synapses of Unit Alpha, it should be no surprise that he is intelligent."

Â Â Â Â "So," Jameson says, pushing his glasses up on his face, "is that why he was able to pilot so well?"

Â Â Â Â "Unknown at the moment. Intelligence never seemed to be a factor in whether or not a person could pilot. But then, I don't remember testing anyone this smart. I'm going to go examine him further, and see."

Â Â Â Â General Jameson nods, and walks towards Unit Alpha. Jon watches the general walk off, and then looks at Dr. Jenkins. "Lisa," he says, "you seem awfully interested in this boy."

Â Â Â Â Dr. Jenkins places her hands on her hips. "My interest in him is purely scientific. You should know better than anyone that I don't mix work and pleasure." Dr. Jenkins smiles wickedly at Jon, then opens the tent, enters, and closes it.

Â Â Â Â Jon nods then turns away from the tent. "Yep, I know that quite well."

*Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â *

Â Â Â Â "So, William," Dr. Jenkins says, smiling, "anything new?"

Â Â Â Â William looks at Dr. Jenkins, and then looks away. "What would you expect to be new?" he says in a very low voice.

Â Â Â Â Dr. Jenkins brushes her hair back with her hand, and shakes her head. "You don't have to act so withdrawn, William. I'm a doctor. I won't judge you." Dr. Jenkins walks over to William, and places her hand on his. She looks him in the eye and smiles. "Everything you say to me will stay with me."

Â Â Â Â William looks at her hand, and sees that his hand underneath is no longer shaking. He looks back at her... and smiles.

*Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â *

Â Â Â Â General Jameson and Jon walk towards another similar black tent. "And in this tent," Jon asks.

Â Â Â Â "Sadly," Jon says, opening the door to the tent, "it's our chosen pilot, Major Sean Muellen." Jon and General Jameson walk into the tent, then close the door. In the center of the room lies Sean, still in his blue jumpsuit. Meters are hooked up to his head and chest, just like with William.

Â Â Â Â "This is horrible," Jameson says, walking over to Sean. He sighs and says, "Sean Muellen was the best pilot this army had to offer."

Â Â Â Â "Yes, I am aware. In fact, that is why we chose him to be the pilot of Unit Alpha." Jon places his hands in his pockets, and looks at the ground. "But now... now he's in a coma."

Â Â Â Â "So sad, that such a wonderful soldier is now in a situation like this. Do we know what the problem was?"

Â Â Â Â Jon shakes his head. "Not yet. Dr. Jenkins has yet to check the data on Sean. The theory is that during the combat the MCS seemed to run faster than his mind could handle ... and the low compatability ..."

Â Â Â Â Jameson pushes his glasses up on his face. "I see. Do you really think that the MCS is the best way to pilot this unit? You people at Dram Industries developed a system, but even you don't seem to know how to make it work right." General Jameson looks away, and thinks to himself, "are you people hiding something?"

*Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â *

Â Â Â Â William puts his shirt back on, and stands up. He looks at Dr. Jenkins, smiling. "See, that wasn't so bad now, was it," she says, writing down some data. "Like I said, William, everything you say will stay with me and only me. No one needs to know what you feel deep down inside unless you want them to."

Â Â Â Â William nods, and goes to exit the tent.

Â Â Â Â "Oh, and William," Dr. Jenkins says, brushing her hair back once more. "I feel that you deserve to know this: they're going to request for you to quit school and pilot Unit Alpha, considering your compatability."

Â Â Â Â "And if I refuse?"

Â Â Â Â She sighs. "Then you'll probably be drafted anyway."

Â Â Â Â William looks down at the ground, and bites his lip. He exits the tent.

Â Â Â Â Dr. Jenkins pushed her glasses up on her face and smiles. "He'll pilot it," she thinks to herself.

*Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â *

Â Â Â Â William leans against a tree in front of his building, staring at the wreckage around him. He bends down, and picks a piece of debris up off of the ground. The rock is drenched with blood. William drops it to the ground, and stares at his now bloody hand, which is still no longer shaking. He tightens his hand into a fist, and lowers it to his side. He looks over his shoulder at Unit Alpha, and bites his lip.

Â Â Â Â "William!" someone screams.

Â Â Â Â William turns around to see Alex running at him.

Â Â Â Â Alex runs up to William, and rests his hands on his legs, trying to catch his breath. "I'm so glad that you're okay. Is it true?"

Â Â Â Â William stares at Alex.

Â Â Â Â Alex stands up straight and looks at William. "So it is true. You did pilot that thing."

Â Â Â Â William looks at the ground, and walks over to the bench. He sits down on it, and rests his head in his clean hand. "Yes, I piloted it. I piloted it and I killed them."

Â Â Â Â Alex walks over to William, and rests his hand on his shoulder. "You did the right thing, William. Those men would have killed everyone."

Â Â Â Â William whispers to himself, "I killed them. I killed them. I killed them. I killed them."

Â Â Â Â Alex sits down next to William. "If you didn't kill them they would have killed everyone here. You know that. After all, you stopped those missiles. You kept them from destroying the school."

Â Â Â Â William lifts his head, and leans back in the bench. "You don't understand," he says, his voice louder than usual. "I'm not talking about them."

Â Â Â Â Alex's eyes widen in surprise. "What?" He looks away from William for a minute, and then looks back. "Then who are you talking about?"

Â Â Â Â William stands up, and points at the destruction around him. "This," he screams. "This is what I'm talking about!" Everyone in the area stops what they're doing and looks at him. "All these people who are dead and injured; they're that way because of me!"

Â Â Â Â Alex stands up and looks at William. "You don't actually blame yourself for this, do you William?"

Â Â Â Â "Of course I do! How can I not?" William kicks a piece of rubble. "It was waiting for me, waiting for me to pilot it. But I hesitated. I waited. And because of that people died unnecessarily." William runs his hand through his hair, and rests it on the back of his head. "It's all my fault. It's all my fault!" William wipes some tears from his eyes. He whispers to himself, "people felt pain because of me."

Â Â Â Â "William," someone else says.

Â Â Â Â William turns around to see Amy and Kristen standing next to Alex. "It's not your fault," Amy says, her eyes filled with tears. Her voice is soft and kind as she speaks. "No one blames you. Yes, people are dead, but you protected everyone else."

Â Â Â Â "It doesn't matter," William screams. "People are still dead, and I could have saved them if I had acted a little faster."

Â Â Â Â "You can't know that," Kristen says, her voice sterner than Amy's . "What you did was courageous. Don't try to play the victim in this."

Â Â Â Â William looks at the ground. "Do the two of you think your friend Jennifer is happy? Do you think any of the other sixty-one people who died, or the one hundred and fifteen who were injured are happy about what I did?" William turns around and punches the tree. "They're not! How can they be? They felt such horrible pain; and the guilt rests on my shoulders! Mine!" William shakes his head. "None of you can understand that! None of you can understand how I feel!" William runs off, but no one bothers to chase him.

Â Â Â Â "I understand how he feels," Amy says, wiping tears from her eyes. "I understand how much he..." She sighs and looks to the ground.

Â Â Â Â Alex looks at her disbelievingly. He girns and places his hands in his pockets. "How do you understand?" Amy pulls a note out of her pocket, and hands it to Alex. Alex unfolds it, and reads the words to himself. "Dear God," he whispers to himself.

*Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â *

Â Â Â Â William lies on his bed, quietly thinking to himself. He stares blankly at the ceiling, the back of his head resting on his hands.

Â Â Â Â The door to his room opens, and a blue haired man of about William's age enters the room. He slams the door and walks over to his bed. The man jumps onto the bed, not saying anythng to William. For a moment, there is total silence in the room. Then, suddenly, the man punches the wall and sits up. He looks at William, obviously very angry. "So are you just gonna sit there quietly all day? Gonna say nothin' and do nothin'? Just like always."

Â Â Â Â "What would you want me to say," William responds, still staring at the ceiling.

Â Â Â Â "You're not going to hold it over my head or anything, that you saved all our lives?"

Â Â Â Â William doesn't respond. All he does is sigh, then roll over so that he's turned away.

Â Â Â Â "Answer me, dammit!" The man jumps up from his bed.

Â Â Â Â "What would you want me to say?" William sits up. He swings his legs over the side of the bed. His eyes seem empty as he speaks with an almost monotone voice. "We might live together, but we don't really know each other. Maybe this is my fault, maybe it's yours. I don't know. But since we don't really know each other, we can't assume how either of us is going to react, Daniel."

Â Â Â Â Daniel steps back. "I've spent enough time around you to know how you are. You think you're better than me, better than everyone."

Â Â Â Â William leaps down from his bed. He looks Daniel in the eye, and smiles slightly. "What we each believe other people are thinking says more about ourselves than it does about other people." William walks over to the door. "I most likely won't be staying here. So you won't have to put up with me being better than you any more." He opens the door, and with that, leaves.

Â Â Â Â Daniel tightens his hands into fists and punches the wall. "Jerk!"

*Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â *

Â Â Â Â "I meant to ask you," Jon says, turning towards General Jameson. "How is your grand-daughter doing? She does go here, does she not?"

Â Â Â Â Jameson nods and says, "she's fine, actually. She and her friend came very close to dying. But that boy, when piloting...he saved them. She actually had talked to him earlier in the day."

Â Â Â Â "I see," Jon says as he begins walking once again. "So tell me, you are going to request to that boy that he join the military, right?"

Â Â Â Â Jameson stands still. "I don't want to do that. However, I think that I have to..."

Â Â Â Â "Because he's the best suited to pilot it."

Â Â Â Â Jameson looks to the ground. "That's part of it."

Â Â Â Â "And the other part?"

Â Â Â Â Jameson sighs. He looks at Jon and says "have you ever killed a man?"

Â Â Â Â Jon shakes his head in response.

Â Â Â Â Jameson places his hands in his pockets then looks up into the sky."Certain things happen when you kill a man, or when you lead yourself to believe that you failed at stopping deaths."

Â Â Â Â Jon rubs his chin as he stares at the ground. He looks up at Jameson. "Mental anguish?"

Â Â Â Â "Exactly," Jamesons says, nodding. "People start to suffer internally if they don't know how to handle what they've done, or what they didn't do."

Â Â Â Â "So, you want to protect this boy?"

Â Â Â Â "This war has cost so many young people the innocence they once cherished. An uncountable number of people will walk away from this never to be the same."He looks at Jon, smiling. But with help, they can change for the better, rather than the worse."

Â Â Â Â Jon shakes his head as he listens. His eyes glance towards Jameson. "I see. You want to make sure that this boy is one of those people who changes for the better."

Â Â Â Â Jameson smiles, and continues walking.

*Â Â Â Â *Â Â Â Â *

**One Week Later**

Â Â Â Â Unit Alpha is gone, cleared from the field, as are the medical tents. The school is still more or less in ruins. There is a certain remorsefulness in the air. People walk around, not really saying too much. Coming so close to death seems to have dulled the usually open and happy environment.

Â Â Â Â William sits on the bench once more, a duffel bag strewn over his shoulder. As the wind blows his hair becomes ruffled. He stares blindly into the distance, past the shattered dormitory and at the setting sun. He sighs and lowers his gaze towards the ground.

Â Â Â Â "So you're leaving?" someone asks.

Â Â Â Â William looks up at the source of the voice. Amy and Alex stand next to each other. Alex's arms are folded across his chest. Amy stands, her arms at her sides. Both look at him, awaiting a response.

Â Â Â Â "You're just gonna go?" Alex asks. "That's that. You leave, and everyone goes on with their lives? You think you can run away from this? Run away from everything that happened here?" Alex steps closer to William. He leans in towards him, a determined look on his face. "You can't."

Â Â Â Â William looks up, a half smile on his face. He shakes his head. "I'm not running." Alex steps away, taken aback. "What happened here, as I said, happened because of my mistakes. I refuse to let any similar incident happen again." William stands up, leaving the duffel bag on the bench. He walks towards Alex and places his hand on his shoulder. "People are dead, and I still blame myself. I still hear their screams and see the flashes of light." He looks away from Alex and Amy. "I see myself, standing there, doing nothing." William removes his hand from Alex's shoulder, and places them over his face. "I...I won't let this happen again."

Â Â Â Â Amy steps towards William. "You're going...so you can protect people?"

Â Â Â Â William laughs to himself and moves his hands away from his face. "Protecting by killing. It's such a painful, illogical idea. But still, it's necessary, I suppose." He turns away from the duo. "They say I'm best suited to pilot."

Â Â Â Â "So because they say this you believe them?" Alex runs around William, and steps up to his face once again. "I saw the note, William. Doing this...and feeling how you feel. It's not right, trying to get yourself killed."

Â Â Â Â William's eyes widen, but then go back to normal. They glance away from Alex. "I wanted to die. Yes. But...you read the note. There's nothing worse than someone who only constantly feels pity for and anger towards themselves."

Â Â Â Â "William," Amy says as William turns towards her. "Please, don't go. It's not right that you should have to give up your life and everything for this. You did something good, and now you have to continue suffering?"

Â Â Â Â William shakes his head again, then looks down at the ground. "You only assume that that suffering...will be worse than this suffering."

Â Â Â Â Alex begins to walk away from William. Amy looks at William, then follows Alex. "William," Alex says, turning back around. He stares at William. "This suffering you think you feel. It's imaginary. If you go there...you're in for a pain the likes of which you've never seen or known."

Â Â Â Â Alex and Amy walk away. As they do so, Amy periodicallly looks over her should towards William. William sighs, and looks towards the sky, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Goodbye," he says as he wipes the tears away.

**To Be Continued.**

Next time: William is gone; departed for a new life. But what will he find there? Will it be the meaning to his life that he's been constantly searching for? Or a different pain, like Alex warned of? Next Movment: Arriving/Where to Go from Here?


End file.
